Days 30 - 33 La Fortuna - Monteverde

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We left the hotel at 8am & set off for La Fortuna near volcan Arenal. When we arrived we checked into our hotel. Then Pip, Debra, Paul & myself did the whitewater rafting on Rio Toro. This took 2 hours & went through 45 sets of rapids. The river was grade 4 & a bit high & there were lots of s-shaped bends with massive boulders for walls. We flipped over & I was caught in a vortex, I could not surface. I was spinning round and round underwater trying to position my feet to face down river (like they tell you to do) when I slammed into a massive submerged boulder with my back. The impact winded me & I thought for a moment this was the end. But I fought & kicked my way out of the vortex, I managed to swim to the riverside.
Everybody made back into the raft after being collected from various points down stream. I had rafted on Ocoee River in Tennesse grade 4 but this river felt like grade 5 & we were all exhausted after it.

That night we hired a van, got some pizza & beer & watched the lava & boulders tumble down from volcan Arenal. Later that night we went to the Baldi thermal Springs Resort after that & we relaxed for the rest of the night. The next day most of us went canyoneering, it was my first time & even though I was a little nervous I enjoyed it. We were rappelling down 150ft & 210 ft ravines & waterfalls. When we got back to the hotel, I walked up to see the La fortuna waterfall on my own.

The next day we took a boat across lake Arenal & then a van to Santa Elena near Monteverde. I went to the frog & insect exhibits but they were a bit crap. That evening Paul & me went for a night walk to view wildlfe, we saw some frogs, tarantulas & nocturnal sloths with a baby. Later we drank 2 bottles of wine before we headed out for dinner.

We visited the Monteverde Cloud Forest very early & our excellent guide found Quetzals, Toucans, Emerald Toucanettes, humming birds & a lot more. After lunch the whole group went ziplining & the views were spectacular above the trees as we crossed over a valley.

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Photos

Ziplines
Getting kitted out.

Ziplines
The first platform